Take careof the people and the peoplewill take care of the mission

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PATRIOT | NOVEMBERMAKING A POINT >> Col. Doug Carpenter, 413 th Flight Test Group, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., listens as Maj. Gen. Martin M. Mazick, 22 nd Air Force commander,talks with more than 100 attendees, during the 22nd Air Force HRDC workshop held here Oct. 16-17. ( photo by Master Sgt. Anne Ward )Airmen first theme for 22 ndAF HRDC workshop in Oct.by Senior Master Sgt. Sandi Michon“Take care of the people and thepeople will take care of the mission.”Those were the words of Maj. Gen.Martin M. Mazick, 22nd Air Forcecommander, highlighting the themefor the Human Resources DevelopmentCouncil workshop hosted hereOct. 16, 17 for over 100-participantsfrom 14-wings in 22nd Air Force.Col. Michael J. Marten, 439thAirlift Wing vice commander andchairperson for Westover’s HRDCprogram said the workshop, a firstfor Westover, was a platform for thewings in 22nd AF to inspire and motivateeach other with success stories.Sample topics included enlistedworkshops, mentoring, surveys,Communities of Practice, Base Realignmentand Closure-related unitmoves, Rising Six councils and otherinnovations that communicate andimplement good ideas.The public affairs office here conducteda random, informal surveyin October and found that over75 percent of the people polled atWestover do not know what theHRDC acronym stands for, muchless its purpose.“HRDC is a people-oriented organization,charged with makingWestover a better and more desirableplace to work,” said Colonel Marten.“It is a place where we identify weaknessesin our organization and find away to fix them.”The HRDC, a 1992 command initiative,critically looks at retention,recruiting, and demographic trendswithin the wing to initiate changewhere needed.“Our HRDC program used to beMEO [Military Equal Opportunity]on steroids, then it became a complaintorganization, but we have turned itinto an effective team that takes action,”said Colonel Marten. “What we wantmost, is to empower individuals tomake a difference. Bring your ideas tothe table,” he said.“While our organization may initiateand promote programs aimedat enhancing retention, recruitment,mentoring and diversity, we would bekidding ourselves to think we had all theanswers or that we could be effective in avacuum,” Colonel Marten said.Professional organizations like theCompany Grade Officers Council,Chiefs council, Top 3 and Rising 6councils offer Airmen an opportunityto communicate and get involved inimproving things for everyone assignedhere.Other opportunities, like the onethat inspired Master Sgt. Luisa V.Cabana, noncommissioned officer incharge, 439th Maintenance Opera-tions Squadron, come from within.Sergeant Cabana, a 22-year veteran,created a plan to host a one-day Hispanicyouth leadership symposiumhere for families from three localtowns that demographically have thehighest Hispanic population: Springfield,Holyoke and Chicopee.“As a Latino, I understand the challengesour culture faces” she said. “Byproviding a greatly needed service tothe local Hispanic population, it canonly benefit both the community andWestover.”After receiving Westover’s awardfor Best HRDC program in 22nd AF,Colonel Marten said he appreciatedthe nod but felt the credit belonged toWestover Airmen.“We are busy – our Airmen do a lot,” hesaid. “The [award] write-up says it all.”Colonel Marten closed by summarizingHRDC’s role here.“If our Airmen enjoy working atWestover because they are takencare of, then HRDC has done itsjob,” he said.
PATRIOT | PAGE Problem-solvingpower at WestoverMAINTENANCE MIND >> Tech. Sgt. Byron Labreche explains his electrical knowledge to visitingcommand officials in October. ( photo by Senior Master Sgt. Sandi Michon )Maintenance innovation draws attentionby Senior Master Sgt. Sandi MichonRepresentatives from four major defensecontractors teamed with Air Force Reserveplanes, people and videographersat Westover from Oct. 15-19 to test new systems andfilm training tools capturing innovative techniques.Engineers from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., andWestover maintainers worked through tight spacesand the C-5’s cavernous cargo bay to install new tubingas part of a C-5 latrine improvement. Reserve videographersWinifred E. Johnson and Joseph Matherfilmed the installation as a visual aid to the TimeCompliant Technical Order to assist maintainers asthey install updates throughout the C-5 fleet.Experts traded information as they evaluated a fuelquantity tester used on Navy aircraft. Because fuelingis not typically a depot-level issue, the Westover visitallowed face-to-face contact with Automatic FlightControls and Instrumentation people in the field.Two electrical devices tested have direct contactwith Westover talent. Tech. Sgt. Byron Labrechewas part of a team working on defective bus-tiecontactors and their new information was filmed tohelp other bases fix the part at home station.Sergeant Labreche also worked with Tech. Sgt.Todd Panico, and retired Master Sgt. Mike Conboyto design a battery data recorder. The device capturescell voltage through a computer to streamlinethe process and creates e-mailable data for review.“Westover has an outstanding can-do attitude.They’ve always been very proactive finding problems,”said Clay Elliot, chief of structures withSystems Program Office (SPO) at Robins.Electrical Avionics Engineer Nick Tolomeo commendedWestover’s willingness to help SPO solveproblems. His team holds monthly teleconferencesto troubleshoot and brainstorm problems. “Westoveris always there,” he said.“You guys are spot-on here,” said Cheryl Brotherton,SPO engineer with the reliability section. Sheappreciated the willingness to work, the synergyand the feedback they received on other products.At week end, she said, “We’re 150 percent smiling.”Instead of tossing a defective, $5,000power part, Tech. Sgt. Byron Labreche wasdetermined to find a fix. His efforts, combinedwith others, were so innovative thatRobins AFB engineers traveled from Georgiato film the results as a training tool for theentire C-5 fleet.The problematic part is a bus-tie contactor(BTC) which works with the generatorcontrol unit to control power when theaircraft shifts from external to internal power.Failure of any of the four units on each C-5not only costs lots of money but also delaysthe mission. According to Air Force records,“between January 2005 and August 2007,failures of these two components directlyresulted in 25 C-5 mission aborts with anestimated cost to the Air Force of $1,386,000due to aircraft unavailability.”Sergeant Labreche tackled the partpuzzle by designing a safer power testerto diagnose each unit. He helped improvethe method used to calibrate the unit whichmade their reliability rate five times better. Bymaking sure the unit is standardized, it helpsdetermine where the problem is within thepower system.“He’s the best. His dedication, reliability,and attention to detail has been instrumentalin increasing reliability of the powerdistribution system to the whole C-5 fleet,”said Jose Segarra, SPO engineer.“I love problem solving – to be given thefreedom to see a need and try to meet it,”said the 439th MXS technician.According to Segarra, Sergeant Labreche’screativity will save the Air Forcethousands of dollars by keeping parts workinglonger and allowing fixes at the baselevel rather than at depot level.“To see the transformationfrom whereit was to where it is, isamazing. It’s nice tosee how people aremore involved in fitness.”Senior AirmanDavielle Rodgers,Services“It was worth the wait,but it could havebeen better such asthe locker room andthe heating systemin the winter. It’s toohot.” Tech. Sgt.Celio Hernandez,Maintenance“One of the most importantthings we dois to stay physically fit— anything that helpsaccommodate thatgoal is worth the wait.”Staff Sgt. LesleyWilliams, AerospaceMedicineTROOP TALK | Was the fitness center worth the wait?
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